Customized design for an article of footwear

ABSTRACT

A method of making an article of footwear is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing a customer with a pre-selected set of graphics, allowing a customer to choose a set of input graphics, and generating a set of morphed graphics based on a set of input graphics. The user can select a morphed graphic and apply it to an article. The method may further include the step of limiting the number of times a customized graphic may be selected and applied to an article.

BACKGROUND

The embodiments relate generally to footwear, and in particular to amethod of making an article of footwear.

Articles of footwear may generally comprise an upper and a sole. Thesole may include an outsole, a midsole and/or an insole. The upper maybe used to secure the sole to the foot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method of making an article of footwear is disclosed. In one aspect,the embodiments provide a method of customization for an article,comprising: receiving information related to a first selected graphic;receiving information related to a second selected graphic; generating amorphed graphic based on information related the first selected graphicand the second selected graphic; and providing a customized articleincluding the morphed graphic.

In another aspect, the embodiments provide a method of customization foran article, comprising: receiving information related to a firstselected graphic; receiving information related to a second selectedgraphic; receiving a user selected value; generating a morphed graphicusing information from the first selected graphic and the secondselected graphic according to the user selected value; and providing acustomized article including the morphed graphic.

In another aspect, the embodiments provide a method of customization foran article, comprising: receiving a user selected customized graphic;determining if a limit for the customized graphic has been reached;allowing the user selected customized graphic to be applied to anarticle if the limit has not been reached; and preventing the userselected customized graphic from being applied to an article if thelimit has been reached.

In another aspect, the embodiments provide a method of customization foran article, comprising: receiving information related to a firstselected graphic; receiving information related to a second selectedgraphic; generating a plurality of morphed graphics using informationfrom the first selected graphic and the second selected graphic;receiving a user selected graphic from plurality of morphed graphics;and providing a customized article including the user selected morphedgraphic.

In another aspect, the embodiments provides a method for customizationof an article, comprising: receiving a user customized graphic;receiving a user availability preference associated with the usercustomized graphic; determining if the user wants to share the usercustomized graphic; allowing the customized graphic to be used by atleast one other customer when the user wants to share the customizedgraphic; and otherwise preventing the customized graphic to be used byany other customer.

Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the embodiments willbe, or will become apparent to one with skill in the art uponexamination of the following figures and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features andadvantages be included within this description, be within the scope ofthe embodiments, and be protected by the following claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments can be better understood with reference to the followingdrawings and description. The components in the figures are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principles of the embodiments. Moreover, in the figures, likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an illustrative embodiment of acustomization system;

FIG. 2 is an embodiment of a process for a customization system;

FIG. 3 is an embodiment of a detailed process for a customizationsystem;

FIG. 4 is an embodiment of a graphical interface system displaying apre-selected set of graphics;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an illustrative embodiment of a remoteterminal connected to a digital camera and a scanner;

FIG. 6 is an embodiment of a graphical interface system displaying twoselected graphics;

FIG. 7 is an embodiment of a graphical interface system displaying amorphed graphic that includes information from two selected graphics;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a morphedgraphic associated with a position of an indicator of a graphicalslider;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a morphedgraphic associated with a position of an indicator of a graphicalslider;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a morphedgraphic associated with a position of an indicator of a graphicalslider;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a discrete range forselecting a morphed graphic;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a selection tool for amorphed graphic;

FIG. 13 is an alternative embodiment of a graphical interface systemdisplaying a discrete set of morphed graphics;

FIG. 14 is an alternative embodiment of a graphical interface systemdisplaying a discrete set of morphed graphic where the number of morphedgraphics within the discrete set is selected by a customer;

FIG. 15 is an embodiment of a graphical interface system displaying aset of articles of footwear that may be associated with a selectedmorphed graphic;

FIG. 16 is an embodiment of a graphical interface system with provisionsto allow a customer to position a morphed graphic on a selected articleof footwear;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a graphic beingrepositioned on a footwear representation;

FIG. 18 is an exemplary embodiment of a pair of footwear manufacturedaccording to a customized design selected by a customer;

FIG. 19 is a schematic view of an embodiment in which a user can adjustthe opacity of a graphic or design element;

FIG. 20 is a schematic view of an embodiment in which a user can adjustthe relief of a graphic or design element;

FIG. 21 is an exemplary embodiment of a portion of a database withinformation related to morphed graphics;

FIG. 22 is an exemplary embodiment of a graphical interface systemdisplaying a morphed graphic that is no longer available due toexceeding a manufacture limit;

FIG. 23 is an embodiment of a process for ensuring exclusivity ofmorphed graphics; and

FIG. 24 is an embodiment of a process for allowing a user to selectsharing preferences for a customized graphic.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative embodiment ofcustomization system 101. The term “customization system”, as usedthroughout this detailed description, refers to a system formanufacturing articles of footwear that include a customized design ofsome kind. In some embodiments, the article may be customized by themanufacturer or a third party designer. In one embodiment, the articlemay be customized by the party purchasing the articles of footwear.

In one embodiment, customization system 101 comprises remote terminal100 connected to vendor 102 by way of network 104. Generally, remoteterminal 100 may be any type of computer, including either a desktop ora laptop computer. In other embodiments, remote terminal 100 may be anytype of device that includes a display, a processor, and an ability totransmit and receive data from a remote network. Examples of suchdevices include, but are not limited to, PDA's, cell phones, as well asother types of devices.

In this embodiment, vendor 102 represents a manufacturing systemconfigured to manufacture articles of footwear. Here, vendor 102 isshown as a single building for illustrative purposes only. In manycases, vendor 102 will comprise many buildings. In some cases, vendor102 may comprise many buildings that are disposed in differentgeographic locations. Generally, the term “vendor”, as used here, mayalso refer to distributors and/or suppliers. In other words, the term“vendor” may also apply to various operations on the manufacturing side,including the operations responsible for parts, labor, and/or retail ofthe article of footwear, as well as other manufacturing side operations.

In some cases, network 104 is configured to relay information betweenremote terminal 100 and vendor 102. Generally, network 104 may be asystem allowing for the exchange of information between remote terminal100 and vendor 102. Examples of such networks include, but are notlimited to, personal area networks, local area networks, wide areanetworks, client-server networks, peer-to-peer networks, as well asother types of networks. Additionally, network 104 may support wiredtransmissions, wireless transmissions, or both wired and wirelesstransmissions. In some embodiments, network 104 may be a packet-switchedcommunications system. In one embodiment, network 104 may be theInternet.

Referring to FIG. 2, customization system 101 may include provisionsthat allow a customer to design an article of footwear that will beproduced by a vendor. Process 200 is an embodiment of a process of howcustomization system 101 may proceed. During first step 202, a customermay interact with a website in order to access the graphical interfacesystem. Once the customer has accessed the graphical interface system,the customer may select a customized article design in second step 204.Following this, the customized article of footwear may be manufacturedaccording to the customer's design during third step 206. Finally,during fourth step 208, the customized article may be shipped to apre-designated address supplied by the customer.

Referring to FIG. 3, customization system 101 may be best understood byseparating the steps associated with remote terminal 100 and thoseassociated with vendor 102. In some cases, those steps associated withremote terminal 100 are performed on or by remote terminal 100 and thosesteps associated with vendor 102 are performed on or by vendor 102.However, this is not necessarily the case, and some of the stepsassociated with remote terminal 100 may be performed on or by vendor 102or some other resource, and some of the steps associated with vendor 102may be performed on or by remote terminal 100 or some other resource.

In first step 302, a customer may access a graphical interface systemwith remote terminal 100. In some cases, the customer may access thegraphical interface system through a website. Here, the term “website”is used in the most general sense as meaning any collection of datalocated on a remote server accessible with a web browser of some kind.In many cases, a website may be a collection of web pages found on theWorld Wide Web. In one embodiment, the term “web page” may refer to anyHTML/XHTML document.

In some cases, vendor 102 includes a server of some type that supports awebsite with a graphical interface system. This graphical interfacesystem may be used to design a customized article of footwear. In someembodiments, the graphical interface system may be a graphical editor ofsome kind. In one embodiment, the graphical interface system may providea set of tools that allow the customer to easily apply a customizeddesign to an article of footwear.

In an alternative embodiment, a website supporting a graphical interfacesystem may be hosted outside of vendor 102. In other words, the websitemay be owned and run by a third party separate from the manufacturer ofthe customizable articles of footwear. Generally, the process ofcustomizing an article of footwear may proceed as before. In this case,the finalized design information will be processed and sent to vendor102 by the third party.

Although the graphical interface system may be accessed via a websitethrough the Internet in one embodiment, in other embodiments, thegraphical interface system could be accessed in other ways. For example,in some embodiments, the graphical interface system could be rundirectly on a remote terminal. In other words, the graphical interfacesystem could be a program that can be installed on a remote terminal. Insome cases, the graphical interface system could be installed on apersonal computer of a customer. In other cases, the graphical interfacesystem could be installed on a remote terminal located at a retail storeor kiosk. In these cases, the graphical interface system may stillcommunicate with one or more vendors through a network, such as theInternet, in order to provide customer ordering information for thecustomized product. Additionally, in some cases, the remote terminalcould print order forms that could then be sent to one or moremanufacturing facilities by a courier or a postal service.

Once the customer has accessed the graphical interface system in firststep 302, the customer may select one or more graphics during secondstep 304. The term “graphic”, as used throughout this specification andin the claims, refers to a two-dimensional or three-dimensional imagethat may be rendered manually, such as by drawing, or renderedautomatically through technology, such as photography, printing orcomputer graphics.

Following the selection of input graphics, the customer may select amorphed graphic in third step 306. The term “morphed graphic”, as usedthroughout this specification and in the claims, refers to an imagecreated with information from a plurality of input graphics. Inparticular, given any two input graphics, a set of morphed graphics maybe generated that includes a sequence of graphics that represent avisual transformation from one input graphic to the other. For example,in some cases, given two images that are different from one another, amorphing animation may be created that shows the transformation of oneimage into the other. This morphing animation will generally comprise aset of intermediate morphed graphics, each intermediate morphed graphicrepresenting an intermediate stage in the transformation between thefirst graphic and the second graphic. Examples of a set of morphedgraphics are given below.

In some embodiments, a morphed graphic may be created from inputgraphics using a software program. Algorithms for generating morphsbetween two or more images are known in the art. In some cases, amorphed graphic includes a combination of information from both selectedimages. In other cases, an algorithm for generating morphed images maycreate graphics with additional information that is not associated witheither selected image.

Following a customer selection of the morphed graphic in third step 306,the customer may select an article of footwear in fourth step 308.During fifth step 310, the customer may scale the morphed graphic andchoose a location for the scaled morphed graphic on the selected articleof footwear. Following this, during sixth step 312, the customer maysubmit the customized design to vendor 102.

During seventh step 314, vendor 102 may receive the customized designfrom the customer. Following seventh step 314, vendor 102 maymanufacture the article of footwear according to the customized designin eighth step 316. After manufacturing the customized article offootwear, vendor 102 may inspect the customized article of footwear andexecutes quality control procedures during ninth step 318. Once vendor102 has inspected the customized article of footwear, vendor 102 mayship the customized article of footwear to a pre-designated address.

The following description discusses the details of the steps outlinedand briefly described with reference to FIG. 3. In some cases, acustomer has access to a remote terminal. Using the remote terminal, thecustomer may gain access to a website supplied by the vendor or a thirdparty. In some embodiments, the website may include a graphicalinterface system, as discussed briefly in first step 302.

The process of creating a customized article of footwear may begin witha customer selecting a plurality of graphics. In some cases, a graphicalinterface system may provide a pre-selected set of graphics from which acustomer may select a plurality of input graphics. In some cases, thepre-selected set of graphics may include graphics created from graphicssoftware programs, text, photographic images, and other types of images.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of graphical interface system 400displaying a pre-selected set of graphics. In this embodiment, graphicalinterface system 400 displays a pre-selected set of twelve graphics. Inother embodiments, graphical interface system 400 may display more orless graphics. In some cases, graphical interface system 400 may providescroll bar 410 to allow a customer to view additional graphics. In othercases, graphical interface system 400 may include other provisions toallow a customer to view additional graphics.

Generally, graphical interface system 400 may display a variety ofgraphic types. In this embodiment, for example, graphical interfacesystem 400 displays graphics comprising computer generated designs,photographic images, and text. In particular, graphical interface system400 displays first graphic 421 that is a computer generated design of acircle. Likewise, second graphic 422 is a computer generated design of astar. Furthermore, third graphic 423 and fourth graphic 424 comprisecomputer graphics of a triangle and rectangle, respectively. Inaddition, graphical interface system 400 displays ninth graphic 429 andtenth graphic 430, which are photographic images of a tree and a flower,respectively. Also, graphical interface system 400 displays spaces foreleventh graphic 431 and twelfth graphic 432 that could be customdesigned graphics. With this arrangement, graphical interface system 400may provide a customer with a selection of different types of graphics.

Although only two-dimensional graphics are illustrated in the currentembodiment, in other embodiments three-dimensional graphics could alsobe used. For example, in some embodiments, a graphic of a sphere couldbe included. Other possible three-dimensional graphics include, but arenot limited to, cubes, oblate spheroids, prisms, regularthree-dimensional shapes, irregular three-dimensional shapes as well asany other type of three-dimensional shape.

A graphical interface system 400 may include provisions for allowing acustomer to import various designs or graphics from outside sources. Insome embodiments, a customer may attach various media devices to aremote terminal in order to import various graphics or designs tographical interface system 400. In one embodiment, a customer may uploadpictures or photos from a digital camera or from another source.Generally, images supplied to a graphical interface system 400 by acustomer may be referred to as customer designated graphics.

Referring to FIG. 5, remote terminal 100 may be connected to digitalcamera 502 and scanner 504 through first cable 506 and second cable 508,respectively. Digital camera 502 and scanner 504 are only meant to berepresentative of the various types of digital media from which acustomer may import photographs or other types of graphics. Generally, aphotograph taken with digital camera 502 may be imported directly toremote terminal 100. Likewise, a photograph may be scanned using scanner504 and transferred to remote terminal 100. From remote terminal 100,these graphics may be uploaded to graphical interface system 400 throughnetwork 104.

In some cases, graphical interface system 400 may be associated withdatabase 510 of pre-selected graphics. In one embodiment, database 510may be connected directly to graphical interface system 400. Database510 may include any kind of storage device, including but not limited tomagnetic, optical, magneto-optical, and/or other memory devices,including volatile memory and non-volatile memory devices.

Generally, graphics may be gathered from any source, including theInternet. In this case, images and graphics may be downloaded fromnetwork 104 to remote terminal 100 and subsequently transmitted tographical interface system 400.

Graphical interface system 400 may allow a customer to select any numberof graphics for creating a customized morphed graphic. In other words, acustomer may select any number of graphics from the set of pre-selectedgraphics provided by vendor 102 or customer designated graphics. In someembodiments, graphical interface system 400 may allow the customer toselect three graphics. In other embodiments, graphical interface system400 may allow the customer to select four graphics. In one embodiment,graphical interface system 400 may allow the customer to select twographics.

Generally, graphics may be selected in any manner. In some embodiments,graphical interface system 400 may provide a customer with a drop downmenu to select the names of graphics. In other embodiments, graphicalinterface system 400 may include a selection tool that a customer maymanipulate to select the graphics. In still other embodiments, graphicalinterface system 400 may include other provisions for the selection ofgraphics.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary embodiment of graphical interface system 400following the selection of two graphics. As previously mentioned, acustomer may choose any of the pre-selected graphics provided by vendor102 or customer designated graphics. In particular, it should beunderstood that a customer may choose two different types of graphics.In this embodiment, a customer selects first graphic 421 as firstselected graphic 621 and second graphic 422 as second selected graphic622 with selection tool 650.

In some embodiments, graphical interface system 400 may includeadditional menus of graphics as well as tools to manipulate graphics.For example, in some cases, graphical interface system 400 may include atool to magnify a graphic in order to view details of the graphic. Inthis embodiment, graphical interface system 400 displays graphics menu675. In some cases, graphics menu 675 includes graphics from thepre-selected graphics and customer designated graphics. In particular,first graphic 421, second graphic 422, third graphic 423 and fourthgraphic 424 are visible within graphics menu 675. In some cases,graphics menu 675 may be associated with a scroll bar in order to viewadditional graphics. With this arrangement, graphical interface system400 may provide a customer with a view of first selected graphic 621 andsecond selected graphic 622 as well as pre-selected graphics andcustomer designated graphics. This may allow a customer to change firstselected graphic 621 and second selected graphic 622.

Following the selection of a first selected graphic and a secondselected graphic, graphical interface system 400 may be configured toallow a customer to create a morphed graphic from the first selectedgraphic and the second selected graphic. In some embodiments, graphicalinterface system 400 may provide a discrete set of morphed graphics andallow a customer to select a morphed graphic from the discrete set ofmorphed graphics. In other embodiments, graphical interface system 400may provide a substantially continuous range of morphed graphics. Insome cases, a customer may choose a user selected value that isassociated with the continuous range of morphed graphics. Followingthis, graphical interface system 400 may generate a morphed graphic fromthe first selected graphic and the second selected graphic according tothe user selected value. With this arrangement, graphical interfacesystem 400 may be configured to allow a customer to create a customizedmorphed graphic from the first selected graphic and the second selectedgraphic.

Generally, graphical interface system 400 may be configured in variousways to allow a customer to supply a user selected value. In someembodiments, graphical interface system 400 may include provisions toreceive a user selected value from a range of values. In some cases, aminimum value of the range may indicate that the morphed graphic shouldbe created that is substantially similar to the first selected graphic.Likewise, a maximum value of the range may indicate that the morphedgraphic should be created to be substantially similar to the secondselected graphic. Similarly, a number in the middle of the range mayconvey that the morphed graphic should be created with substantiallyequal amounts of information from the first selected graphic and thesecond selected graphic. With this configuration, the position of theuser selected value within the range of values may indicate theproportion of information to include in the morphed graphic from thefirst selected graphic and the second selected graphic. In a preferredembodiment, graphical interface system 400 may include a slider that maybe manipulated by a customer to control a user selected value.

In some embodiments, a user selected value may take on discrete values.In other words, a user selected value is associated with a limitednumber of values. In other embodiments, a user selected value may takeon continuous values. In other words, the user selected value isassociated with a substantially unlimited number of values.

FIG. 7 is an embodiment of graphical interface system 400 following theselection of first selected graphic 621 and second selected graphic 622in FIG. 6. As previously discussed, first selected graphic 621 has acircle shape. In addition, second selected graphic 622 is star shaped.In other embodiments, first selected graphic 621 and second selectedgraphic 622 may be configured with other shapes or images.

In this embodiment, graphical interface system 400 includes slider 720.Furthermore, slider 720 includes track 716 and indicator 717. In somecases, track 716 may be disposed horizontally between first selectedgraphic 621 and second selected graphic 622. In other cases, track 716may be disposed in another location within graphical interface system400. With this arrangement, indicator 717 may be manipulated on track716 to indicate the degree of morphing between first selected graphic621 and second selected graphic 622 to generate a morphed graphic.

In the current embodiment, a customer may move indicator 717 on track716 to a position that may be associated with a morphed graphic. Forexample, a customer may move indicator 717 closer to first selectedgraphic 621 than second selected graphic 622 to create a morphed graphicthat looks more like first selected graphic 621 than second selectedgraphic 622. Likewise, a customer may move indicator 717 closer tosecond selected graphic 622 than first selected graphic 621 to create amorphed graphic that looks more like second selected graphic 622.

In the current embodiment, indicator 717 is disposed in first position771 on track 716. Furthermore, first position 771 is associated withfirst morphed graphic 751. Since indicator 717 is close to firstselected graphic 621, first morphed graphic 751 may contain moreinformation from first selected graphic 621 than second selected graphic622. Specifically, first morphed graphic 751 includes a generallycircular shape with irregular edges.

FIGS. 8-10 illustrate exemplary embodiments of morphed graphics that maybe associated with different positions of indicator 717. The morphedgraphics illustrated in these embodiments are intended to be exemplary.In addition, aspects of the morphed graphics may be different withvarious positions of indicator 717 although changes may not be obviousin these exemplary embodiments. In other embodiments, positions ofindicator 717 may be associated with different morphed graphics.

Referring to FIG. 8, indicator 717 is disposed in second position 772.Second position 772 is approximately in the middle of slider 716. Withthis arrangement, second position 772 may be associated with secondmorphed graphic 752 that is generated with approximately equal amountsof information from first selected graphic 621 and second selectedgraphic 622. In other words, second morphed image 752 may be consideredas an average of first selected image 621 and second selected image 622.In particular, second morphed graphic 752 may have a generally circularshape with five rounded protrusions.

In some cases, as indicator 717 is moved to a position closer to secondselected graphic 622, a morphed graphic may be created that closerresembles second selected graphic 622. Referring to FIG. 9, indicator717 is disposed in third position 773 that is closer than secondposition 772 to second selected graphic 622. In this embodiment, thirdposition 773 may be associated with third morphed graphic 753. With thisarrangement, third morphed graphic 753 bares a closer resemblance thansecond morphed graphic 752 to second selected graphic 622. Specifically,the rounded protrusions of second morphed graphic 752 have lengthened inthird morphed graphic 753. In this manner, third morphed graphic 753more closely resembled a five-pointed star than a circle. However, inthis embodiment, the points of third morphed graphic 753 remain rounded.

Referring to FIG. 10, indicator 717 is in fourth position 774 that iscloser than third position 773 to second selected graphic 622. With thisconfiguration, fourth position 774 may be associated with a morphedgraphic that is more similar than third morphed graphic 753 to secondselected graphic 622. In this embodiment, fourth position 774 isassociated with fourth morphed graphic 754. Fourth morphed graphic 754appears as a five-pointed star with non-rounded points. However, theprotrusions of fourth morphed graphic 754 are not quite as pointed as insecond selected graphic 622.

In these exemplary embodiments, indicator 717 is moved to positionssuccessively closer to second selected graphic 622. However, it shouldbe understood that indicator 717 may be moved closer to first selectedgraphic 621 to create morphed graphics more closely resembling firstselected graphic 621. Using this configuration, graphical interfacesystem 400 may allow a customer to fine tune the shape of the morphedgraphic.

It is also possible that graphical interface system 400 may beconfigured in another manner to allow a customer to select a morphedgraphic. In some embodiments, graphical interface system 400 maygenerate a discrete set of morphed graphics based on the input graphics.For example, FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment including a discrete setof indicator positions 1000, including first indicator position 1002,second indicator position 1004, third indicator position 1006 and fourthindicator position 1008. In this case, each indicator positioncorresponds to a particular morphed graphic. For example, firstindicator position 1002 corresponds with first morphed graphic 1010.Thus, rather than selecting from a continuous range of possiblecustomized graphics, some embodiments may restrict a user to selectingfrom a discrete set of possible morphed graphics that lie in a rangebetween first selected graphic 621 and second selected graphic 622. Withthis arrangement, a customer may choose a morphed graphic from adiscrete set of morphed graphics.

FIG. 12 illustrates still another embodiment of a method of selecting amorphed graphic. In this case, graphical interface system 400 canprovide a user input region 1020. User input region 1020 may allow auser to enter a numerical value that is associated with a particularmorphed graphic. In some cases, input region 1020 may prompt a user toenter a morphing percentage. For example, in one embodiment, a user mayenter 67% as the desired morphing percentage. The user is then promptedwith morphed graphic 1030, which is a graphic that is 67% of the waybetween graphic 621 and graphic 622. This arrangement allows a user toselect any numerical percentage to generate a new morphed graphic.

FIG. 13 illustrates an alternative embodiment of graphical interfacesystem 400 following the selection of input graphics. In particular,following the selection of first selected graphic 621 and secondselected graphic 622, graphical interface system 400 displays a discreteset of morphed graphics. In this embodiment, graphical interface system400 displays first discrete set of morphed graphics 1101 based on firstselected graphic 621 and second selected graphic 622.

Generally, first discrete set of morphed graphics 1101 may include anynumber of morphed graphics. In some embodiments, first discrete set ofmorphed graphics 1101 may include two morphed graphics. In otherembodiments, first discrete set of morphed graphics 1101 may includethree morphed graphics. In still other embodiments, first discrete setof morphed graphics 1101 may include more than three morphed graphics.

In this embodiment, first discrete set of morphed graphics 1101 includesthree morphed graphics. In particular, first discrete set of morphedgraphics 1101 comprises first morphed graphic 1151, second morphedgraphic 1152 and third morphed graphic 1153. This arrangement provides acustomer with an opportunity to select from first discrete set ofmorphed graphics 1101 containing three different morphed graphics.

Graphical interface system 400 may display first discrete set of morphedgraphics 1101 in any manner that may aid a customer in selecting amorphed graphic. In some embodiments, first discrete set of morphedgraphics 1101 may be displayed by graphical interface system 400 so thatmorphed graphics proximate to each other may be more similar and sharemore information than morphed graphics not disposed proximately. In thismanner, first discrete set of morphed graphics 1101 may be displayed asa sequence of morphed graphics. In some cases, this arrangement of firstdiscrete set of morphed graphics 1101 may assist a customer in selectinga morphed graphic.

In some cases, first selected graphic 621 and second selected graphic622 may be disposed on opposite sides of first discrete set of morphedgraphics 1101. With first discrete set of morphed graphics 1101displayed as a sequence of morphed graphics, first morphed graphic 1151,second morphed graphic 1152 and third morphed graphic 1153 may bedisplayed between first selected graphic 621 and second selected graphic622. Specifically, first morphed graphic 1151 may be displayed proximateto first selected graphic 621 to indicate that first morphed graphic1151 is similar to first selected graphic 621. In a similar manner,third morphed graphic 1153 may be displayed proximate to second selectedgraphic 622 to convey that third morphed graphic 1153 is similar tosecond selected graphic 622. Finally, second morphed graphic 1152 may bearranged between first morphed graphic 1151 and third morphed graphic1153 to show that second morphed graphic 1152 contains a substantiallyequal proportion of information from first selected graphic 621 andsecond selected graphic 622. In some cases, this arrangement assists acustomer in selecting a morphed graphic.

As described above, the customization process may include presenting auser with a set of morphed graphics from which the user may select adesired graphic. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, a user is presentedwith three possible morphed graphics from which the user can select adesired morphed graphic. In general, the number of morphed graphicspresented to a user could vary in different embodiments.

Some embodiments can include provisions for controlling the number ofmorphed graphics presented to a user during the customization process.For example, some embodiments may be configured so that the number ofmorphed graphics presented to a user is always equal to or greater thana predetermined minimum number. In some cases, the minimum number couldbe 1. In still other cases, the minimum number could be 2. In stillother cases, the minimum number could be 3. In still other cases, theminimum number could be 4 or greater than 4. This arrangement mayenhance the user experience by ensuring that the user is given enoughoptions for choosing a customized morphed graphic.

Some embodiments could include a maximum number of morphed graphics thatcan be presented to, or otherwise provided for, a user. In other words,some embodiments may be configured so that the number of morphedgraphics that may be presented to a user is always less than or equal tothe maximum number. In some cases, the maximum number could be 1. Inother cases, the maximum number could be 2. In still other cases, themaximum number could be any number greater than 2. In still other cases,the maximum number could be 6. In still other cases, the maximum numbercould be 8. In still other cases, the maximum number could be 10. Instill other cases, the maximum number could be 12. This arrangement mayenhance the user experience by ensuring the user is not overwhelmed withtoo many options when selecting a customized morphed graphic.

It is also to be understood that some embodiments could control thenumber of options to be displayed to a user for any other feature wherethe user may be presented with multiple options. In particular, thismethod for controlling or constraining the number of options displayedfor a user is not limited to use with customized morphed graphics. Forexample, some embodiments may allow a user to customize other featuresor components of an article, beyond the application of a customizedmorphed graphic. Such features or components may include, but are notlimited to: customizable trim elements, customizable graphical designs,customizable component colors, customizable component materials as wellas any other customizable features or components associated with anarticle. Therefore, whenever a user is presented with a number ofoptions for selecting a customizable component or characteristic, thenumber of options displayed to the user could be constrained with aminimum value and/or maximum value. Moreover, the minimum value and/orthe maximum value could vary according to the feature being customized.

In some cases, graphical interface system 400 may allow a customer toselect a number of morphed graphics that may be displayed in a set ofdiscrete morphed graphics. FIG. 14 is an alternative embodiment ofgraphical interface system 400 following the selection of first selectedgraphic 621 and second selected graphic 622. In this alternativeembodiment, graphical interface system 400 prompts a customer to selecta number of morphed graphics to display. This may be accomplished in anymanner known in the art. In some cases, this may be accomplished througha drop-down menu. In this embodiment, graphical interface system 400prompts a customer to enter a number of morphs in text box 1210.

In this exemplary embodiment, a customer requests that graphicalinterface system 400 display six morphed graphics. With this request,graphical interface system 400 generates second discrete set of morphedgraphics 1202. Second discrete set of morphed graphics 1202 may includesix morphed graphics. This provides a customer with an opportunity toselect a morphed graphic from six different morphed graphics in secondset of morphed graphics 1202.

Similar to the previous embodiment, second discrete set of morphedgraphics 1202 may be displayed by placing morphed graphics containing ahigher proportion of information from first selected graphic 621 closerto first selected graphic 621. Likewise, morphed graphics containing ahigher proportion of information from second selected graphic 622 may bedisposed closer to second selected graphic 622. With this arrangement,second discrete set of morphed graphics 1202 may be displayed in anordered manner allowing a customer a clear choice in morphed graphics.

Following the selection of a morphed graphic, a customer may create acustomized article of footwear. In some embodiments, a customer maycontinue the customization process and customize an article of footwearwith a second customization system. In other embodiments, a customer maycontinue the customization process by selecting an article of footwearto associate with the morphed graphic in graphical interface system 400.

FIGS. 15-16 illustrate an embodiment of graphical interface system 400following the selection of fourth morphed graphic 754 as shown in FIG.10. Referring to FIG. 15, graphical interface system 400 may includefootwear representation menu 1320. Footwear representation menu 1320 mayinclude a plurality of footwear representations. The term “footwearrepresentation”, as used throughout this specification and in theclaims, refers to a two-dimensional embodiment of an article of footwearwithin graphical interface system 400. Specifically, the term “footwearrepresentation” may include the structural design of the representedarticle of footwear. Additionally, the term “footwear representation”may include any other design attributes including, but not limited to,patterns, shapes, designs, colors, images, and any other graphicalfeature of the outer surface of the represented article of footwear.

In this embodiment, footwear representation menu 1320 includes threefootwear representations. In other embodiments, footwear representationmenu 1320 may include more or less footwear representations. In somecases, footwear representation menu 1320 may be associated with a scrollbar or other means of allowing a customer to view additional footwearrepresentations.

In this exemplary embodiment, footwear representation menu 1320 displaysfirst footwear representation 1311, second footwear representation 1312and third footwear representation 1313. For the purposes ofillustration, first footwear representation 1311 is depicted here in theform of a boot. Similarly, second footwear representation 1312 isdisplayed as an athletic shoe with cleats. Finally, third footwearrepresentation 1313 is displayed in the form of a running shoe. However,in other embodiments, footwear representation menu 1320 may include anyother type of footwear including, but not limited to, a boot, abasketball shoe, a running shoe, a dance shoe, as well as other kinds offootwear.

Additionally, throughout this specification, it should be understoodthat not only a single article of footwear, but a pair of footwear maybe designed with a customization system. Any morphed graphics applied tothe design of one article of footwear may likewise be applied to asecond, complementary, article of footwear. The term “complementary”, asused throughout this specification and in the claims, refers to theassociation of a left article of footwear with a right article offootwear and vice-versa. Also, it should be understood that each articleof footwear of a pair may be designed independently. In other words, thecomplementary articles of footwear need not include identical morphedgraphics.

In some embodiments, an enlarged view of a footwear representation maybe generated by graphical interface system 400 when a customer selects afootwear representation from footwear representation menu 1320. In thisembodiment, a customer selects third footwear representation 1313. Withthis selection, graphical interface system 400 displays an enlarged viewof third footwear representation 1313.

In some embodiments, graphical interface system 400 may includeprovisions for modifying the view of a selected footwear representationin order to allow a customer to view different regions of the footwearrepresentation. In some cases, this may include a provision for rotatinga footwear representation about a set of axes. In other cases, graphicalinterface system 400 may allow a customer to translate a selectedfootwear representation vertically or horizontally. In still othercases, graphical interface system 400 may provide provisions formagnifying a portion of a footwear representation in order to allow acustomer to view details of the footwear representation. For purposes ofclarity, these additional provisions are not included in this embodimentof graphical interface system 400.

Following the selection of a footwear representation, a graphicalinterface system may include provisions to allow a customer to positiona morphed graphic on the footwear representation. In this embodiment,graphical interface system 400 includes directional tool 1350. In otherembodiments, graphical interface system 400 may be configured with otherprovisions to allow a customer to position fourth morphed graphic 754 onthird footwear representation 1313.

With directional tool 1350, a customer positions fourth morphed graphic754 on customer selected portion 1354 of third footwear representation1313. In this embodiment, customer selected portion 1354 is disposed ona lateral portion of an upper. In other embodiments, customer selectedportion 1354 may be any portion of third footwear representation 1313that may be manufactured with fourth morphed graphic 754.

In some cases, graphical interface system 400 is configured to allow acustomer to scale a selected morphed graphic when positioning themorphed graphic on a chosen footwear representation. Generally, aselected morphed graphic may be scaled in a horizontal and/or verticaldirection to enlarge or contract the selected morphed graphic. In somecases, a user may have control over the width, length and/or height of agraphic. With this scaling ability, the customer can modify the size ofa graphic to accommodate different sized articles or to achieve adesired look for an article.

Although a customized morphed graphic is scaled by a customer in thecurrent embodiment, in other embodiments the customized morphed graphicmay be scaled automatically by a vendor. In some cases, the graphicalinterface system could be associated with software for scaling a graphicto fit a particular shoe size. Furthermore, the customized morphedgraphic could be automatically aligned on a portion of the article toprevent any overlap with trim or other features of the particularfootwear design.

Referring to FIG. 16, a customer uses directional tool 1350 to contractfourth morphed graphic 754 in a vertical and horizontal direction. Withthis arrangement, fourth morphed graphic 754 is compressed andpositioned on customer selected portion 1354 of third footwearrepresentation 1313. With this arrangement, a customer may complete thecustomized design of an article of footwear and submit the customizeddesign to a vendor.

In some embodiments, once a customer has selected a customized designincluding a morphed graphic, the customer may continue customizing thearticle using graphical interface system 400. In some cases, thecustomer could customize colors, add designs or otherwise furthercustomize the customized article type. In some cases, graphicalinterface system 400 can include additional tools for adding additionalcustomized designs. A method for modifying articles in this manner isdisclosed by David P. Jones et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 7,945,343, issuedMay 17, 2011, originally U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/612,320,filed Dec. 18, 2006 and entitled “Method of Making an Article ofFootwear”, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

A customization system can include provisions for allowing a user tomodify the position of a graphic or other design element within apredetermined region. For example, FIG. 17 illustrates an embodimentwhere a user may modify the position of customized graphic 754. In somecases, a user may utilize positioning slider 1050 to move customizedgraphic 754 to various horizontal positions of third footwearrepresentation 1313. In some cases, the system may be configured so thata user can only move customized graphic 754 within a predeterminedhorizontal range 1052, which corresponds with the range of positioningslider 1050. This arrangement may help to ensure that customized graphic754 stays within a predetermined region 1056. Restricting graphics topredetermined regions may help reduce interference between a customizedgraphic and other components of an article, as well as ensure thatgraphics are placed in regions that are favorable to printing or othermethods of applying graphics to an article.

After a vendor receives a customized design from a customer, the vendormay manufacture a pair of footwear with the customized design. FIG. 18illustrates an exemplary embodiment of manufactured pair of footwear1500. Once pair of footwear 1500 has been manufactured, it may beinspected for quality by the vendor. During this inspection pair offootwear 1500 may be compared to third footwear representation 1313 andscaled fourth morphed graphic 754 disposed on customer selected portion1354 as seen in FIG. 16. Therefore, pair of footwear 1500 is not onlyinspected for structural integrity, but also for design accuracy.Finally, once pair of footwear 1500 has passed inspection, pair offootwear 1500 may be shipped to a pre-designated address.

A customization system can include provisions for varying differentgraphical properties of a graphic or design element. Examples ofgraphical properties include, but are not limited to: optical properties(such as transparency), three dimensional properties (such as relief,texture, etc.), color properties (such as intensity, sublimation, etc.)as well as any other graphical properties. Moreover, in some cases, auser may be able to choose the method of forming a graphic. For example,in cases where a graphic may be printed onto an article, a user couldselect between a “normal printing” mode and a “puff printing” mode.

FIGS. 19 and 20 illustrate schematic views of embodiments of methods ofmodifying the graphical properties of graphic elements of footwearrepresentation 1502 and footwear representation 1505, respectively.Referring to FIG. 19, a user can control the opacity of an element usingopacity slider 1503. For example, in this case, the opacity of graphic1504 is changed between a first opacity 1506 and a second opacity 1508.In this case, first opacity 1506 is generally higher than second opacity1508, so that graphic 1504 may be varied between a generally opaquestate and a generally transparent state. Referring now to FIG. 20, auser can control the relief of an element using relief slider 1520. Forexample, in this case, the relief of graphic 1522 is changed between afirst thickness 1524 and a second thickness 1526. In this case, firstthickness 1524 is generally greater than second thickness 1526, so thatgraphic 1522 may be varied between an approximately two dimensionalgraphic and a three dimensional graphic with greater relief.

In some cases, a customer may create a customized design with anintention that articles of footwear manufactured from that customizeddesign are relatively unique. Furthermore, the unique nature of anarticle of footwear manufactured from a customized design may be adesirable feature of the process of creating a customized design. Inother words, a customer may engage in the process of creating acustomized design with a purpose to create an exclusive article offootwear.

Generally, a customized design may be exclusive if articles of footwearmanufactured from the customized design are not relatively common. Insome embodiments, a customization system may include a limit on thenumber of articles of footwear that may be manufactured from acustomized graphic. This may provide exclusivity for a customizeddesign.

FIG. 21 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a portion of database1600 that may be internal to a vendor of a customization system. In thisembodiment, database 1600 includes entries for customized graphics 1601,number of articles used 1602 and customized graphic limit 1603. In someembodiments, database 1600 may include additional and/or differentattributes. For example, in some cases, database 1600 may includeentries for type of article of footwear associated with a customizedgraphic or portion of article of footwear configured with a customizedgraphic.

In some cases, customized graphics 1601 may include an entry for eachcustomized graphic selected by a customer. Furthermore, number ofarticles used 1602 may include an entry for the number of times acustomized graphic is selected by a customer for a customized article offootwear. Finally, customized graphic limit 1603 may include a limit forthe number of times a customized graphic may be selected by a customer.In some cases, the same limit may be applied to all customized graphics.In other cases, different limits may be entered in customized graphiclimit 1603 for different customized graphics. By configuring differentlimits for different customized graphics, the exclusivity of customizedgraphics may be adjusted.

In this exemplary embodiment, database 1600 includes four entries. Inparticular, database 1600 indicates first customized graphic 1611 hasbeen used 140 times and has a limit of 200. Similarly, database 1600includes second customized graphic 1612 with number of articles used1602 entered as 150 and customized graphic limit 1603 listed as 300.Likewise, customized graphic 1601 includes third customized graphic 1613with number of articles used 1602 indicating 3 uses and customizedgraphic limit 1603 entered as 5. Finally, fourth customized graphic 1614is displayed with number of articles used 1602 as 75 and customizedgraphic limit 1603 as 150. These entries are intended to be exemplaryand in other embodiments the entries for graphic 1601, times used 1602and customized graphic limit 1603 may be quite different.

In some cases, database 1600 may be associated with a graphicalinterface system in order to enforce the exclusivity of customizedgraphics. For example, a graphical interface system associated with adatabase 1600 may allow two more selections of third customized graphic1613 in order to limit the selection of third customized graphic 1613 tofive selections. With this configuration, database 1600 may support theexclusivity of customized graphics.

Generally, a customization system may enforce the exclusivity ofcustomized graphics in any manner. In some embodiments, a graphicalinterface system may not display a customized graphic that has reached alimit designed to ensure exclusivity. In other embodiments, a graphicalinterface system may not permit the selection of a customized graphicthat has reached a customized graphic limit.

FIG. 22 is an exemplary embodiment of graphical interface system 1700.Generally, graphical interface system 1700 may be substantially similarto the alternative embodiment of graphical interface system 400 in FIG.13. In particular, graphical interface system 1700 may display firstdiscrete set of morphed graphics 1101 following the selection of firstselected graphic 621 and second selected graphic 622. As previouslydiscussed in associated with FIG. 13, first discrete set of morphedgraphics 1101 includes first morphed graphic 1151, second morphedgraphic 1152 and third morphed graphic 1153.

In this exemplary embodiment, however, graphical interface system 1700includes provisions to enforce exclusivity of customized designs. Inthis case, graphical interface system 1700 displays second morphedgraphic 1152 in phantom. In some cases, graphical interface system 1700displays second morphed graphic 1152 in phantom because a limitassociated with second morphed graphic 1152 has been reached.Furthermore, text 1780 displayed by graphical interface system 1700indicates to a customer that second morphed graphic 1152 is no longeravailable. Using this configuration, the exclusivity of second morphedgraphic 1152 may be ensured.

FIG. 23 is an embodiment of process 1800 that may be executed topreserve exclusivity of customized graphics. During first step 1802,graphical interface system 1700 receives a customized graphic request.After receiving a customized graphic request in first step 1802,graphical interface system 1700 determines if the customized graphic isassociated with a customized graphic limit during second step 1804. Ifthe customized graphic is not associated with a customized graphiclimit, graphical interface system 1700 may continues to fourth step1808. During fourth step 1808, graphical interface system 1700 continuesthe customization process.

However, if graphical interface system 1700 determines that thecustomized graphic is associated with a customized graphic limit duringsecond step 1804, graphical interface system 1700 proceeds to third step1806. During third step 1806, graphical interface system 1700 checks ifthe customized graphic has reached the customized graphic limit. In somecases, graphical interface system 1700 may query a database such asdatabase 1600 to determine the customized graphic limit for therequested customized graphic. If the requested customized graphic hasnot reached the customized graphic limit, graphical interface system1700 proceeds to fourth step 1808 and may continue the customizationprocess.

If graphical interface system 1700 determines in third step 1806 thatthe customized graphic has reached the customized graphic limit,graphical interface system 1700 prompts the customer to select anothercustomized graphic in fifth step 1810. Following fifth step 1810,graphical interface system 1700 prevents the use of the customizedgraphic. With this process, the exclusivity of the customized graphicmay be ensured.

Some embodiments may include provisions that allow a user to provide orprevent sharing of a customized design. For example, in situations wherea user creates a novel customized graphic, a system may provide the userwith an option to allow or prevent future users from selecting asubstantially identical customized graphic.

FIG. 24 illustrates an embodiment of a process for providing a user withgraphic sharing options. In some cases, some of the following stepscould be performed by a graphical interface system. In other cases, someof the following steps could be performed by any other system, includingany system associated with a proprietor. Moreover, in some cases, somesteps may be performed by a graphical interface system while other stepscould be performed by another system. It will be further understood thatsome of the following steps may be optional. In addition, the order ofsteps could vary in any manner in other embodiments.

In step 1902, a graphical interface system may receive a user customizedgraphic. The customized graphic may be created using any of the methodsdescribed above as well as any other known methods for making graphics.Next, in step 1904, the graphical interface system determines if thecustomized graphic has been used before. If the customized graphic hasbeen used before, the system continues to step 1908 where thecustomization process is continued. In this case, the user does not havethe option to select sharing preferences since the graphic is not uniqueto the user.

If, during step 1904, the graphical interface system determines that thecustomized graphic has not been used before, the system may proceed tostep 1906. In step 1906, the system may receive a user availabilitypreference. In some cases, the system can prompt the user with a messagesuch as “would you like to share this image?” In other cases, theavailability preference could be retrieved from a user profile or otherpreviously stored information.

Next, in step 1910, the graphical interface system may determine if theuser wants to share the customized graphic. This decision is based onthe information received in step 1906. If the user has selected to sharethe graphic, the graphical interface system may proceed to step 1912. Instep 1912, the graphical interface system allows the customized graphicto be used by other users or customers of the system.

If, during step 1910, the graphical interface system determines that theuser does not want to share the customized graphic, the system mayproceed to step 1914. In step 1914, the graphical interface system mayprevent other users from using the customized graphic. It will beunderstood that a proprietor may use different methods for allowing auser to make a customized graphic exclusive. In some embodiments, a usermay pay an extra fee to have a customized graphic excluded from futureuse by any other customers. In other cases, exclusivity of a customizedgraphic could be granted by the proprietor through any other means.

By allowing a user to share or not to share a customized graphic, theuser is able to control the exclusivity of the customized graphic.Applying exclusive customized graphics to articles allows users tocreate unique or truly “one of a kind” articles.

While various embodiments have been described, the description isintended to be exemplary, rather than limiting and it will be apparentto those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments andimplementations are possible. Accordingly, the embodiments are not to berestricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.Also, various modifications and changes may be made within the scope ofthe attached claims.

We claim:
 1. A method of customization for an article, comprising:providing a graphical interface system for a user; receiving informationrelated to a first selected graphic; receiving information related to asecond selected graphic, wherein the second selected graphic has adifferent shape from the first selected graphic; providing informationrelated to the first selected graphic and providing information relatedto the second selected graphic within the graphical interface system;providing a sliding indicator that can be positioned at variouslocations between the first selected graphic and the second selectedgraphic; allowing the user to adjust the position of the slidingindicator; generating a morphed graphic using information from the firstselected graphic and the second selected graphic according to positioninformation related to the position of the sliding indicator, whereinthe first selected graphic, the second selected graphic, and the morphedgraphic are simultaneously visible to the user; changing the displayedmorphed graphic as the position of the sliding indicator is adjusted,wherein the morphed graphic is substantially identical to the firstselected graphic when the sliding indicator is positioned closest to thefirst selected graphic and wherein the morphed graphic is substantiallyidentical to the second selected graphic when the sliding indicator ispositioned closest to the second selected graphic; and providing acustomized article including the morphed graphic.
 2. The methodaccording to 1, wherein: the first selected graphic is chosen by theuser and the second selected graphic is chosen by the user; and whereinthe first selected graphic remains unchanged as the sliding indicator ismoved and wherein the second selected graphic remains unchanged as thesliding indicator is moved.
 3. The method according to claim 2, whereinthe morphed graphic comprises information from the first selectedgraphic and information from the second selected graphic, and where theamount of information from the first selected graphic and the amount ofinformation from the second selected graphic comprising the morphedgraphic is proportional to the position of the sliding indicator.
 4. Themethod according to claim 3, wherein the position of the morphed graphicin the graphical interface system changes as the sliding indicator ismoved.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sliding indicatorhas a continuous range of values.
 6. The method according to claim 1,sliding indicator has a discrete range of values.
 7. A method ofcustomization for an article, comprising: providing a graphicalinterface system for a user, wherein the graphic interface system allowsthe user to adjust the characteristics of one or more graphics to createa customized graphic; retrieving a customized graphic limitcorresponding to a maximum number of articles that can be customizedusing the customized graphic; retrieving a number of customized graphicsused, wherein the number of customized graphics used corresponds to thenumber of times the customized graphic has been applied to articles offootwear; comparing the number of customized graphics used to thecustomized graphic limit; determining if the number of customizedgraphics used is greater than the customized graphics limit; allowingthe customized graphic to be applied to the article if the number ofcustomized graphics used is less than the customized graphic limit; andpreventing the customized graphic from being applied to the article anddisplaying the customized graphic in phantom if the number of customizedgraphics used is greater than the customized graphic limit.
 8. Themethod according to claim 7, wherein the customized graphic limit isretrieved from a database.
 9. The method according to claim 7, whereinthe customized graphic is a customized morphed graphic, and wherein thecustomized morphed graphic is created by further: allowing the user toselect a first selected graphic and a second selected graphic; andgenerating the customized morphed graphic using information from thefirst selected graphic and the second selected graphic.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 7, wherein a first graphic is associated with a firstgraphic limit that is different from a second graphic limit associatedwith a second graphic.
 11. A method of customization for an article,comprising: receiving information related to a first selected graphic;receiving information related to a second selected graphic, wherein thesecond selected graphic has a different shape from the first selectedgraphic; prompting a user to enter a number of morphed graphics to bedisplayed; receiving a user selected number in response to prompting theuser to enter the number of morphed graphics to be displayed; generatinga set of morphed graphics using information from the first selectedgraphic and the second selected graphic, wherein the number of morphedgraphics in the set of morphed graphics is equal to the user selectednumber and each morphed graphic in the set of morphed graphics has adifferent shape; providing the set of morphed graphics for simultaneousviewing by the user; receiving a user selected morphed graphic from theset of morphed graphics; and providing a customized article includingthe user selected morphed graphic.
 12. The method of customizationaccording to claim 11, further comprising: retrieving a predeterminedmaximum number, wherein the predetermined maximum number is an integerand wherein the predetermined maximum number is associated with themaximum number of morphed graphics that may be presented simultaneouslyto a user; and limiting the user selected number to a number less thanor equal to the predetermined maximum number.
 13. The method accordingto claim 12, wherein a graphical interface system is provided.
 14. Themethod according to claim 13, wherein the graphical interface system isaccessed through a website.
 15. The method according to claim 12,wherein the first selected graphic and the second selected graphic areboth two dimensional graphics.
 16. The method according to claim 12,wherein the first selected graphic and the second selected graphic areboth three dimensional graphics.
 17. The method according to claim 12,wherein the first selected graphic is a two dimensional graphic and thesecond selected graphic is a three dimensional graphic.
 18. The methodaccording to claim 12, wherein the predetermined maximum number is 20.19. The method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined maximumnumber is
 15. 20. The method according to claim 12, wherein thepredetermined maximum number is
 10. 21. The method according to claim12, wherein the predetermined maximum number is
 5. 22. The methodaccording to claim 11, wherein the set of morphed graphics includes twoor more morphed graphics.
 23. The method according to claim 11, whereinthe set of morphed graphics comprises an integer number of morphedgraphics.
 24. The method according to claim 11, wherein the set ofmorphed graphics comprises a discrete set of morphed graphics.
 25. Themethod according to claim 11, wherein the position of the user selectedmorphed graphic on an article of footwear can be chosen by a user. 26.The method according to claim 11, wherein the size of the user selectedmorphed graphic can be chosen by a user.
 27. The method according toclaim 11, wherein the set of morphed graphics can be displayed betweenthe first selected graphic and the second selected graphic.
 28. Themethod according to claim 11, wherein the position of each morphedgraphic in the set of morphed graphics is related to the degree ofmorphing between the first selected graphic and the second selectedgraphic.
 29. The method according to claim 11, wherein the set ofmorphed graphics comprise a range of graphics having different opticalproperties.
 30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the differentoptical properties are different opacities.
 31. The method according toclaim 11, wherein the set of morphed graphics comprise a range ofgraphics having different colors.
 32. The method according to claim 11,wherein the set of morphed graphics comprise a range of graphics havingdifferent intensities.
 33. The method according to claim 11, wherein theset of morphed graphics comprise a range of graphics having differentthree-dimensional reliefs.
 34. The method according to claim 11, whereinthe user may determine if the user selected morphed graphic may beshared with other users.
 35. The method according to claim 34, whereinthe step of providing the set of morphed graphics includes limiting thenumber of morphed graphics presented to the user according to a maximumnumber, and wherein the maximum number is an integer.
 36. The methodaccording to claim 11, wherein the user selected number is less than orequal to
 12. 37. The method according to claim 11, wherein the userselected number is less than
 10. 38. The method according to claim 11,wherein the set of morphed graphics are configured to be provided withina graphical interface system.
 39. The method according to claim 38,wherein the graphical interface system can be displayed by a webbrowser.
 40. The method according to claim 11, wherein the user selectednumber can be any integer.
 41. The method according to claim 40, whereinthe user selected number is constrained to be within a range of integervalues.
 42. The method according to claim 41, wherein the user selectednumber is constrained to be less than or equal to
 15. 43. The methodaccording to claim 42, wherein the user selected number is constrainedto be greater than
 1. 44. The method for customization according toclaim 11, further comprising: receiving a user availability preferenceassociated with the user selected morphed graphic; determining if theuser wants to share the user selected morphed graphic; allowing the userselected morphed graphic to be used by at least one other customer whenthe user wants to share the user selected morphed graphic; printing theuser selected morphed graphic onto the article for the at least oneother customer when the user wants to share the user selected morphedgraphic; and otherwise preventing the user selected morphed graphic frombeing printed onto any other articles.
 45. The method according to claim44, wherein receiving the user availability preference is followed bychecking to see if the user selected morphed graphic has been usedpreviously.
 46. The method according to claim 44, wherein the userselected morphed graphic is uploaded to a database when the user wantsto share the user selected morphed graphic.
 47. The method according toclaim 44, wherein the user availability preference is retrieved from adatabase.